A Polish customs official says a Ukrainian man has been arrested for
allegedly trying to smuggle about 120 live Central Asian tortoises into the
country.

Central Asian Tortoise
Photo by Darek Karp/www.nhpa.co.uk

Customs spokeswoman Malgorzata Eichelberger says the animals were found
bound by black tape and stacked in a converted gasoline tank of a car the
man drove Tuesday from Ukraine to the Medyka border crossing.

The 34-year-old man allegedly planned to sell them at a Polish market.

Instead, they will instead be given to a zoo in nearby Zamosc, and the
suspect could face up to five years in prison if convicted of illegally
transporting protected species.

The Central Asian tortoise, also known as the Russian or Four-toed
tortoise, has become a threatened species.

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